To think natural family planning can work

[Chocolatefrog27]

I know a lot of people get really irate about this topic but....wondered if people have had long lasting success with natural family planning. Ie only dtd at non fertile times of the month.

I did have very regular cycles and it was always very obvious to me when i was ovulating so I have used this method with success in the past. Albeit briefly.

Now I'm on the pill but it's making me fat and hormonal! I'm thinking of coming off it. Dp and I don't dtd that much - maybe only a few times a month. If we did get caught it wouldn't be the end of the world but I wouldn't say we are actively planning for it either. Have discussed this with dp and he feels that it would suit us.

So my question is once my cycle is back to normal would this be a 'good enough' method based on our circumstances and has anyone else used it with success before?

We've used this in combination with the withdrawal method for 7 years.
In that time we've had 2 kids, reasonably spaced and both planned.
DH has now had the snip and we're just waiting for him to go wank in a cup and get the all clear.
If it genuinely "wouldn't be the end of the world" to slip up then I don't see why not.

I used it successfully for over a year (charting temperature/mucus), but that was at a time when it wouldn't have been a disaster if I became pregnant. I then used it to become pregnant, and was successful the first month of trying.
I think it can work, but I'd never use it if pregnancy was absolutely out of the question.

It’s also worth noting that the pill doesn’t make you fat. What you put in your mouth makes you fat

Only used it for one month, and got pregnant with my youngest!

Like you, I had regular cycles and clear pain when I ovulated. I had sex 12 days before I had the ovulation pain. It should have been impossible. I guess either there were some insanely long lived sperm, I had an extra (symptom less) ovulation that cycle, or it turns out that I only get the pain a few days after ovulation, not on it.

However it happened, it did. We were going to start ttc soon anyway so it was fine. If you genuinely don't mind getting pregnant that's fine, but it's not really a contraceptive.

If a pregnancy wouldn't be terrible and you've regular cycles its not a bad choice as long as you chart etc.

There are quite a few helpful groups on Facebook on the practicalities of nfp, and the book 'taking charge of your fertility' is worth a read.

Do you really want to miss out on being able to have sex in what is likely to be your horniest part of the month too?

this

Use a diaphragm and spermicide, they aren’t brilliantly reliable. But they are considerably better than natural methods.

Copper coil is a good option if you don’t want hormones. And there are hormonal coils with very low levels of hormone too.

Tell your husband to get the any. Natural family planning and/or pull out is not effective

My mother used the rhythm method throughout her marriage (25 years). She was obv highly fertile because on the only two occasions she wanted to conceive, she did so more or less immediately.

One swallow does not a summer make, of course. Do you think you are sufficiently disciplined to stick to it and can handle the fall-out if not?

Please remember that you are feeling most in the mood and he isolate find you most fanciable when you are ovulating.

*he will find you

I used this method successfully for years with one partner. With another partner I got pregnant very quickly.

If you get proper training in how to use it. And follow it properly. It can work.

Sympto-thermal method worked for us till we were ready to have kids. Then we got pregnant exactly as planned.

Yes I have friends who have had a unplanned pregnancy with NFP. They also know how the mistake was made.
But I also have friends who have got pregnant whist on the pill, and friends who have got pregnant whilst using condoms.
No method is 100% effective, except abstinence.

I used it for 3 years with no mishaps then when dd2 was decided upon I got pregnant the first attempt so the first time we didn't avoid during fertile time. If you're regular and don't ever get carried away it can work but I was in the same position as you and it wouldn't have been the end of the world if it hadn't worked. Now definitely don't want any more so I take the pill. Previously tried the combined pill and had similar experience to you so this time I've gone with the mini pill and getting on much better with it.

i wouldn't rely on it if i wasn't prepared to be pregnant.. try the copper coil it is by far the best method i have tried.

My third child was conceived 10 days after I should have ovulated. Probably ovulated twice, or an anomaly.

A happy event in our case as we were always going to want another at some point.

No way on this earth I’d be risking ‘natural family planning’ now our family is complete. It’s luck if it works, rather than judgement!

If you’re having sex without contraception then you’re trying for a baby but in denial

Fine to use if a baby wouldn’t be a disaster for you but naive to think it counts as a method of contraception.

The failure rate is probably less about not charting and tracking, and more about having had a few cocktails and been out dancing on a rare date night and throwing caution to the wind. Oops no condoms in the house but DH is looking really good...

Which is why I wouldn't rely on it personally!

OP sounds for from being in denial.

NFP is a contraceptive method, but it has a higher fail rate than many (but still way lower than using nothing). As OP says it is it disastrous if she becomes pregnant, then it could well be suitable.

Best results come by combining a thermo-supymptomatic method with a nod to the calendar. And to have several cycles of tracking so you really need to get to know yourncycle. Temperature first thing every morning, plus mucus check nod looking out for other symptoms (increase in libido when fertile being a common though inconvenient one)

And a reminder that MN has a whole Family Planning topic for discussion of contraception, whuch might be a place for less sarcastic responses than AIBU

Yes I've used it with current partner and in a previous ltr, never had an unplanned pregnancy and conceived very easily when wanted. Used properly it can be very effective but the key is to know your body and closely monitor signs. I also monitored my bbt. Since having last DC we've used condoms as we are now sure we don't want more. I would be happy to carry on as we were but DP is not so condoms are the only option.

Just the thought of using this as a contraception method is making my ovaries shrivel up!

We are definitely done with babies and I am on the mini pill which is fine and have been for 4 years but I’m at the same stage as you sick of putting hormones in my body etc, spotty skin so am sending DH for the snip as I really do not want to be caught out as another baby would be catastrophic for me and I couldn’t trust myself to be disciplined enough plus my periods were never regular

All I can say is "yeah, good luck with that" lol. However, I also used to have massive problems with the pill - in actual fact I have massive problems with all hormone based contraception. I have found that the copper coil is the answer to all my contraception prayers.

I can’t take hormonal contraceptives, and I hate the rest that’s on offer. We’ve been using this method for 10 years. No pregnancies. No pregnancy scares. I am like clockwork which I think makes it easier

We used it and added in the diaphragm at fertile times.

Never once got pregnant when we weren't trying to.

I’m 16 weeks pregnant “thanks” to NFP. Avoided what should have been the fertile period by an entire week, wound up ovulating late, and now here we are.

Many people do this and it works absolutely fine for them. I believe it can be called the ‘rhythm method’. It generally only works well if you have a very regular cycle and can tell when you’re ovulating each month. If you have irregular cycles it won’t be efficient whatsoever because it’s impossible to plot.

My friend has been doing it for a number of years now, no pregnancies or even scares. If they want sex during her fertile week they simply use condoms. It is impossible to get pregnant outside of that week, however much people like to trot out ‘you can get pregnant at any point in your cycle’. If you have a regular cycle then generally it will be from around day 10-17 you need to be careful.